Trucks venture onto town roads once again
Slowly but surely long-haul trucks have been accessing roads in town again. Residents have been taking photos of them and they can clearly be heard driving towards the Long Tom Pass in the middle of the night.
The truck companies’ drivers were forced to use alternative routes after a court battle last year. This Mpumalanga High Court ruling enforced municipal by-laws to prohibit heavy trucks with a weight excess of 10 tons from driving on the municipal road.
At the time the executive mayor of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM), Fridah Nkadimeng, said truck companies that do not comply with the rerouting by-laws will be impounded and receive a hefty fine. It will take a few years to repair the damage the trucks have caused to the municipality’s roads. It became evident over time the trucks damage the road infrastructure and the companies do not assist in repairing it. TCLM decided to reroute the ore-carrying vehicles to avoid continuous and serious damage to the roads in 2019.
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Part of the complaint to the High Court stated: “Truck companies are refusing to comply with the alternative routes, stating that it will affect them financially. They are damaging the roads, making money while the municipality is suffering. The drivers also ignore the road signs and the Long Tom Pass cannot continue to accommodate heavy trucks. The municipality has fixed the roads continuously and the very same trucks are damaging them. The municipality does not have the resources to constantly fix the roads. The trucks are also damaging pipes, storm water drainage system and pavements, as they stop wherever and whenever they want.”
TCLM went on further to state that a forum had been established to deal with the diversion of the trucks. In section 56, the law clearly sets out which vehicles will be restricted on account of dimensions. Subject to the height of the clearance of any sign, subway or bridge (as in Voortrekker Street), no person shall operate or move on any street any combination of vehicles in excess of the dimensions prescribed in section 56. After the legal battle and enforcement of the by-laws the truck companies complied for a short time.
Residents are urged to please take photos of the trucks breaking the law, if it is safe to do so, and WhatsApp them to 076-091-8401. Please do not confront the drivers. Evidence is being collected to further the case against the companies that are not complying with the court ruling.
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